You might say Duane Daski is a “first among equals.”

His mother gave birth to three sets of twins in three years; Duane and his brother were the first to grace the world. Born prematurely, he was considered a miracle baby back in his native Pennsylvania.

Today, he’s on the Rockledge City Council and has extended his service to countless people through volunteer work over many years. “I've always been involved in giving back and helping out,” Daski said. “I’m a big-time believer in giving back to your community whenever you can and helping out in any way you can.”

Over time, Daski tired of winters in the frozen north and decided to relocate his family to Florida back in the mid-1990s. Since then, he’s been in the banking and insurance industries. Space Coast Credit Union is his current employer, where he manages 10 lenders for the indirect underwriting department. 

Daski’s interest in volunteering was inspired initially by his parents, whom he says were always quick to lend someone a helping hand. While in college, he worked with his fraternity to put on a March of Dimes fundraiser that involved bouncing a basketball nonstop for an entire weekend.

He later brought his love of volunteerism to Rockledge. The city responded by naming him Volunteer of the Year in 2011. For 18 years, he served Rockledge on various boards and committees before running for City Council. 

Daski’s first bid for the office was unsuccessful, despite a lot of tireless campaigning. But he tried again and prevailed, joining the City Council in 2015. He’s now on his third term.

One of Daski’s proudest accomplishments over the years has been organizing the annual Rockledge 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony. 

“I started it with the blessing of the City Council and it’s grown a good deal,” Daski said. “Unfortunately we had to cancel it this year and last year because of the pandemic. But it's one of those things that we can’t lose sight of or we’ll lose sight of a lot of other things as well.”

Outside of local politics and his career, Daski stays busy with his wife, one grown daughter and a granddaughter. He maintains an interest in NASCAR, college football, photography and just helping people whenever he can. 

“I'm a people person, so these past few years have not been good for me with all the lockdowns and all the cancellations,” he said. “It’s been a struggle for me, so I'm glad to see some things are starting to open back up.”